Prisms of Light
by Jasmin Kenobi
Summary: War rages across the Alpha, Beta, and Gamma Quadrants as the Dominion and the Federation gather their own allies in their fight against each other. New faces and new stories join in for what may well be a fight for the very survival of the Federation. Welcome to the realm of infinite possibilities in infinite combinations.
1. Chapter 1

Jean-Luc Picard watched as the young woman beside him stared at the stars, the awe plain on her face.

"How many are there?" she asked.

"Trillions," he replied.

M'k'n'zy of Calhoun turned her purple eyes towards him. Picard could see her wonder at the stars.

"Would I be able to learn more about them at this Academy you speak of?" she asked.

"Yes. In your first year, you could take a Stellar Cartography class and learn where they are and what the types of stars are," he answered.

"I think I would like to take that class. It sounds interesting," she said thoughtfully.

"I thought it was. I used to stare up at the stars as a child and wonder how many I could visit one day."

"You must have visited dozens by now," the nineteen year old Xenexian said.

"I've long since lost track. Now come along. There are many more places on this ship to visit. You can always come back later."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

D'ndai of Calhoun watched as the lithe Starfleet shuttlecraft touched down on the hastily cleared landing pad that the locals had created less than an hour ago when they had heard that Starfleet was visiting.

The starboard hatch opened and released the four passengers. One, a balding man in a captain's uniform, covered his eyes with one hand, as did one of the females.

A rock-like being simple stood by the pod as the other three continued close to D'ndai and his companion, Bragonier of Danter.

As they arrived, he noticed that the female who hadn't covered her eyes looked very familiar. She had grown since she'd left. Her hair was cropped to shoulder-length and her purple eyes flashed. The uniform collar held four pips and her belt held the sword that she had long ago taken off a dead Danteri who had tried to kill her with it.

"Greetings, Captains. I trust you are doing well?" he asked diplomatically.

"Alright, D'ndai, cut the crap. Why are we here?" M'k'n'zy demanded. She always had been impatient.

"Come now, dear sister," he said calmly, "Have patience."

She looked like she was about to say something further, but the other female, the blonde, put a hand on her arm.

"Not now, Kenzy," she warned.

"Couldn't even keep your true name, could you?" Bragonier jested.

"Actually, Ambassador," the male said, "Very few other species could pronounce her name."

"You have a point," Bragonier conceded.

"I'm Captain Elizabeth Shelby," the blonde introduced herself, "And this is Captain Jean-Luc Picard. Over by the shuttle is Lieutenant Zak Kebron."

"I am D'ndai of Calhoun and this is my esteemed colleague, Bragonier of Danter," was the only reply.

"So, why are we here?" Kenzy asked again.

"Because we have information that you may want. It regards the Klingons," D'ndai said.

"Keep going," Shelby said, her blue eyes narrowing.

"We have intelligence that says the Klingons are planning to attack the Vulcan colony at Cor Caroli IV. They believe that the Vulcans there are creating weapons for the Federation. It is also rumored that there is a Romulan agent working there as a scientist," Bragonier said calmly. Kebron's rapid footsteps shook the ground.

"She is not a spy," he said simply.

"You know the Romulan?" Picard asked.

"She is a friend."

"What, Academy friend?" Kenzy guessed.

"Yes. She left Starfleet."

"Got it. Name?" Kenzy asked.

"Soleta. She was a Lieutenant," Kebron replied bluntly.

"Captains? Shall we depart?" Shelby said with a fake grandiose manner.

As they left, D'ndai turned to Bragonier.

"The trap has been laid. Will they fall for it?"

Bragonier shrugged, "It's up to them whether they fall for it or not. This trap is likely to take a few months or even a year to seal shut behind them."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

"Mother! You're needed in the communications center!"

T'Pas looked up when she heard her daughter's voice raised in a shout. The other scientists around her didn't even flinch; they were far too used to Soleta's mannerisms by now.

She briskly walked to the communications center and was greeted by her daughter.

Soleta had grown up to be a rather ambitious woman. Her long black hair was kept pinned out of her face by an IDIC pin that T'Pas had given her years ago. Her dark eyes seemed to look deep into one's _katra_.

"Perhaps a lower tone of voice would be more appropriate?" T'Pas chastised Soleta, who shrugged.

"You were needed here immediately. I could not spare the time to wait and see if you had heard me. It isn't exactly quiet in there," Soleta retorted.

"You are letting your Romulan side get the better of you," T'Pas warned, eliciting a snort from the other woman.

She took the time to look at the screen and saw four Klingon birds-of-prey waiting.

"The fleet captain, a man named Kurn, wants to talk to you," Soleta reported, slipping into her Starfleet-earned ways.

"Put him onscreen," T'Pas ordered. Soleta did so.

"_I am Captain Kurn of the Klingon Empire. You will surrender your weapons and the Romulan spy to us immediately,_" he demanded.

"We have no weapons here, Captain. This is a peaceful colony, dedicated to the scientific ways. I do not know of any Romulans," T'Pas replied. Off screen, Soleta lifted an eyebrow at her mother's blatant lie about no Romulans here.

Unfortunately, Kurn saw it too and peered at Soleta.

"_Your tech back there would disagree with you. What would be the lie, little one: the weapons or the Romulan?"_

Soleta walked up behind her mother. T'Pas was about to say something when Soleta, seeming to read her mind, interrupted her before she began.

"My mother would protect me, but what reason is there to lie to someone who would trespass into Federation territory without the proper legal documentation. I am half-Romulan, by means that are better off left unsaid. Do you think that Starfleet would not come?" she said.

"_Starfleet would not dare to cross our-"_ he was interrupted by a sensor officer somewhere around him.

"_Sir!_" the officer reported, "_The blasted colony sent out a distress signal. Three Starfleet ships responding."_

"_Which ones?"_ Kurn roared.

"_The _Enterprise_, the _Trident_, and the _Excalibur_, my lord. All are running weapons hot and shields up. They will be here in twenty minutes."_

Kurn scowled, "_Destroy the colony. Perhaps we will be able to meet these ships in battle again soon. In fifteen minutes, cloak and return to home territory."_

T'Pas lifted an eyebrow, but didn't get anything out as again Soleta spoke first.

"Cowards!" she snapped, "You do not even have the honor to face us down here on our terms. What kind of a warrior are you?"

Kurn sneered, "_A smart one, little half-breed. A smart one."_

With that, he closed the channel. T'Pas fixed a cold stare on Soleta, who didn't even blink.

"You had no need to goad him on or to antagonize him. I will assume that you sent the distress signal," T'Pas said calmly.

"Yes. Now I will sound the red alert," she replied as she pressed the button that activated the alert klaxon.

One of the junior scientists stuck his head inside the doorframe and asked, "I will presume this is not a drill?"

"No," T'Pas replied, "It is not. We are under attack by four Klingon birds-of-prey. We must evacuate to the underground shelters."

"Understood," he replied before hurrying off to destroy the computer mainframe.

T'Pas was about to say something else to Soleta when the first disruptor blast struck the communications center and everything went black. The last thing she heard was Soleta screaming something unintelligible.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

"Mister Gleau, were those Klingons or Romulans that just cloaked and hauled ass?" Commander Jack Crusher asked.

The Selelvian science officer reported quickly, "Klingons, sir. They hit hard and fast. I'm only reading four life signs on the surface, all Vulcan and within the vicinity of what must have been their main building."

"Understood," Kenzy Calhoun said with a small sigh.

Ensign Robin Lefler went pale, "There were over six hundred scientists there."

Mark McHenry was frantically tapping keys on his board, doing something.

"McHenry, what's got you so interested in your board?" Jack asked.

"I'm looking for a friend," he replied before turning his full attention to his controls, which was really something.

"Soleta," Kenzy said, understanding. Kebron and McHenry had been in the same Academy graduating class.

"Yes, ma'am," he said quietly.

"Good. You can join the Away Team. Jack, Gleau, and Kebron, you're with me. Let's go, people," she ordered.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Lieutenant Commander Tasha Yar looked around at the hellhole they beamed down into. Doctor Beverly Crusher looked like she wanted to be sick and Captain Jean-Luc Picard muttered something in French. The two security officers who'd accompanied them to the surface looked a little green. Only Tasha kept her cool.

She'd seen this before, on Turkana. It hadn't been pretty then and it sure as hell wasn't pretty now.

Captain Elizabeth Shelby, Commander Katerina Mueller, Lieutenant M'Ress, and two more security officers shimmered into solidity nearby. A few seconds later, Captain Mackenzie Calhoun, Commander Jack Crusher, Lieutenant Mark McHenry, Lieutenant Commander Gleau, Lieutenant Zak Kebron, and a trio of security officers beamed in.

"Well, this'll be short," Crusher muttered.

As they split off into teams, Tasha walked around the perimeter of the beam down site with Calhoun, who had her tricorder out and scanning for life-signs. They remained silent until Tasha stumbled across something.

As she looked down, she saw a hand, connected to an arm that disappeared beneath a pile of debris. The hand was holding a phaser that hadn't been in common 'Fleet usage since before Tasha had graduated.

"Captain Calhoun!" she called out, bringing the other woman to a halt, "I found something!"

Checking for a pulse on the wrist, she found one and started pulling debris off of the person. Calhoun helped and within ten minutes they had uncovered up to the shoulder of what was clearly a feminine form.

Beverly and M'Ress ran over, the doctor holding her tricorder and the Caitian holding an anti-grav lifter.

Working together, they had most of the woman uncovered within another half hour. Nearby, McHenry found a scorched IDIC pin that had been tossed a clear ten meters away from its owner by the force of the explosion that had buried her.

He looked up to see Doctor Crusher scanning a female Vulcan for injuries and scowling as she found several.

"Captain?" he said.

"Yes, McHenry?" she asked, sounding very impatient as she finished pushing debris off of the woman.

"That's her. That's Soleta. This is her pin. I found it over there," he said quickly.

"Good. You get to carry her back to the _Enterprise_, then," Doctor Crusher said, "Let's go."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

When Soleta woke up, she realized that it was dark. Reaching a hand up to her face, she felt a bandage over her eyes.

"Don't," a voice said from above her, "Your eyes were damaged in the explosion."

Soleta remembered something suddenly. As she struggled to sit up, a firm hand barely touched her and pushed her back down. She grabbed Zak Kebron's hand and asked him a question she dreaded the answer to.

"My parents?" she asked.

"I'm sorry," he rumbled. Even under the bandages, she felt her eyes tear up. Despite the medical person's protests that her eyes were damaged, she pulled the bandage off and winced as the light hit her eyes.

A red-haired human woman sighed and called for the lights to go down to 15%.

"You look like hell," Mark McHenry commented from a chair nearby where he had dozed off. She flashed him a look of irritation, to which he only laughed.

The doctor excused herself and left the three of them alone. Mark spoke first.

"I found your pin," he said.

"What?" Soleta asked, noticing her voice was rather hoarse from disuse.

"Your hair pin," he clarified, holding up a battered IDIC pin. Soleta gently took it from him and deftly pinned her hair back with it so that stray bits of hair weren't in her face.

A Starfleet captain walked in, followed by a woman in exercise clothes.

"Hello, Miss Soleta. I'm Captain Jean-Luc Picard and this is Captain Mackenzie Calhoun," he said.

The woman in exercise gear waved, "Hello."

Kebron warily stood off to the side, as if he was unsure of the superior officers.

"Hello, Captains. What brings you here?" she asked.

"Actually, we wanted to ask you something," Picard said. Calhoun sighed and spoke before he could say anything further.

"What Jean-Luc is trying to say is that Starfleet wants to give you back your rank and post you on the _Trident_, the _Excalibur,_ or the_ Enterprise_ as a relief science officer," Calhoun said briskly.

"Okay," Soleta said without hesitation, clearly startling Mark and Zak.

"Well then, Lieutenant. Rest up and make sure you listen to Doctor Crusher. She gets touchy when you walk out of her sickbay," Calhoun said.

"You would know," Picard said quietly.

"Shut up, Jean-Luc. Anyway, when you're ready, pick a ship and make yourself at home," Calhoun replied before turning to leave, sharing a remark with the red-head on her way out that made Picard blush as he followed.

"Was that normal?" Soleta asked.

"Pretty much," Mark confirmed, "Just wait until you meet Captain Shelby. She's a real joker, that one."

Soleta lifted a typical Vulcan eyebrow, but said nothing further. Zak rumbled, his version of laughter, if he even believed in such a thing.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Edward Jellico stared grimly at the screen on his desk. Captain Mackenzie Calhoun was next on his list of people to call and update on current affairs.

When he reached the _Excalibur_, he was surprised to see the harried face of a Vulcan he remembered.

"Lieutenant Soleta. Can you patch this through to Captain Calhoun?" he asked.

"_Certainly. Just as soon as I figure out how to work this damn system,_" she replied

Robin Lefler stood behind her and pressed a control that transferred the communication to Captain Calhoun, who didn't look remotely pleased.

"_Ed. Please tell me that what my sources are telling me isn't true. We can't afford a war now, not with the Romulans being difficult,_" she said, her purple eyes flashing. He could just barely see Commander Jack Crusher behind her, leaving quickly.

"First, let me tell you the brief, short version. The Klingons have teamed up with the Cardassians and a power from the Gamma Quadrant called the Dominion to cause us all manners of headaches. Sisko was just forced to evacuate Deep Space Nine and return to Federation space. Bajor is defenseless and has fallen back into Cardassian control. They then formally declared war on the Federation and the Romulan Empire. So, you're going to meet an emissary from the Empire. We don't know who it is or what they're going to want, but we need the Romulans. Any questions?" he replied evenly.

Calhoun looked stunned, "_Just one. What's our game plan?"_

"This is why Command likes you, Kenzy. Because you go straight to the point and cut the crap, unlike most captains. We don't have an official game plan right now, but we're giving captains the discretion they need to do what they have to. Pick up the emissary and carry him or her aboard while you go around doing what you will. You, Shelby, and Picard have been assigned to Sector 221-G. Godspeed," Jellico ordered.

_"And to you, Admiral. _Excalibur_ out,_" she said before cutting the channel. Jellico sighed and moved on to the next name on his list, Captain Frances Stewart.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Kenzy stood up and walked out of her Ready Room, her face grim. Robin Lefler noticed it instantly and frowned, but said nothing.

She walked over to her command chair and sat down, pressing the button for a ship-wide broadcast.

"Attention, crew of the _Excalibur_. As you all know, the Klingons have performed several smash and grab attacks on Federation space. What you don't know is that while they were doing that, the Cardassians attacked Bajor and forced Captain Sisko to evacuate Deep Space Nine, leaving the Bajorans back under their control."

The bridge crew remained silent.

"So, what I mean to tell you is that as of 1635 hours today, the United Federation of Planets is at war against an alliance that consists of the Klingon Empire, the Cardassian Union, and the Dominion."

More silence.

"As soon as we stop at a Starbase, I want all civilian personnel off, no buts about it. I'm not risking anyone's life here. If you want to stay, join the Fleet."

A civilian tech on the bridge had a datapad out and Kenzy could see that he was applying for the Academy as she spoke. A small smile appeared on her face as she saw that.

"Godspeed. Calhoun out."

The civilian tech looked up and asked, "Which would be better: the Academy or MACO training."

"We've got enough officers to go around. Take MACO training. That's just been added as of an hour ago," Kenzy said, not even missing a step.

"Thanks," he said before finishing his application, "Hey, I'm the first one to sign up!"

"Good man," Jack said, "The plus side is that MACOs can remain aboard a ship and take holo-training courses."

"Even better," the tech said before returning to work.

Jack heaved a sigh and turned to Kenzy.

"Course heading, Captain?" he asked.

She smiled slightly, "Helm, set in a course for Artalierh, in Romulan space. Send the course adjustment to the _Trident_ and the _Enterprise_. Maximum warp."

McHenry nodded, "Course laid in."

"Punch it."

**AN- So here we have another new fan-fic. Now, I won't be updating again for a while because I'm going to attempt to carry on a story that I truly have no right to be doing so, as it was written by one of the few true gods of this website. So, Allons-y and Geronimo!**


	2. Chapter 2

Weyoun watched carefully as the transporter particles resolved into a woman wearing the uniform of a Starfleet captain. She crossed her arms across her chest and waited for him to speak as the Jem'Hadar surrounded her.

"You are in a dangerous position," Weyoun said finally. Gul Dukat sneered at her.

"I don't think I agree with that assessment," Captain Mackenzie Calhoun replied, putting her hands on her hips and blowing a loose strand of black hair out of her face.

"First of all," Dukat interrupted, "You're not carrying a weapon. Secondly, you have no help. Third-"

He was cut off as Calhoun suddenly leapt into action, using a hidden weapon to cut down the four Jem'Hadar around her. She smirked at them even as the gleaming blade dripped.

"To answer your obviously stupid observations, I'm always armed. It's a good policy to go by," she said, "And I've got help. Calhoun to Crusher. Commander, get your ass down here!"

A team of sixteen Starfleet security officers appeared. The leader, a blonde woman with the pips of a Lieutenant Commander, pointed her phaser directly at Weyoun.

"What do you think would happen if I decided to shoot him?" she wondered aloud.

An ensign piped up, "He'd be dead."

"That sounds like good results to me!" a lieutenant grinned.

"That's enough people," Calhoun ordered as Weyoun whispered a few words into a communications device.

"Let's-" she was about to order the goons to do something when the Cardassians and Jem'Hadar disappeared along with Weyoun.

"Damn," she said, "That would've been a good chance to learn a bit more about our enemies."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Captain Jean-Luc Picard met secretly with a Tal Shiar general, a man who was rather reputed for his cruelty. General Volskiar was waiting patiently on the small plateau they had agreed on as the meeting place.

As Picard walked out of the shuttle, the General was waiting. A Romulan shuttle sat a short distance behind him, with someone working on it.

"General Volskiar," Picard greeted the other officer.

"Captain Picard," the General greeted him. The officer working on his shuttle stood and walked over, brushing back dusty blonde hair.

"Father, that's the best I can do. I'll never be an engineer or a technician. We need to get to a repair facility before that damned thing falls apart," she said, brushing dirt and dust off of her clothing.

Picard felt a wave of shock come over him when he got a good look at her. The ears were definitely Romulan, but the blonde hair and blue eyes weren't, not to mention the fact that her eyebrows weren't slanted and she didn't have the distinctive forehead ridges of a Romulan.

"Ah, Captain, this is my daughter, Commander Sela," Volskiar introduced them.

"Commander," Picard greeted her. She just nodded.

Captain Elizabeth Shelby warily stepped out of the Federation shuttle and looked around.

"Something doesn't feel right," she said without preamble.

"General, Commander, this is Captain Elizabeth Shelby of the _USS Trident_. Elizabeth, this is General Volskiar and Commander Sela," Picard said.

Shelby nodded and reached inside the shuttle to grab a tricorder. Picard turned back to the pair of Romulans.

"Perhaps you would like to visit our ships?" he asked politely.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Sela looked around the Federation starship carefully. Captain Picard and Captain Shelby had led them into a rather large shuttle hangar that seemed to swarm with troops and officers. As they walked the hallways, she saw the strangest manner of creatures.

There was a Brikar, a Hermat, even a rather sarcastic Vulcan who seemed to sass everyone in her path, including the captains.

"Lieutenant Soleta!" Shelby called out. The sassy Vulcan turned.

"Yes, Captain?" she asked, although the air about her seemed to say that she didn't care about anything.

"Have you seen Captain Calhoun?" she asked.

Soleta shrugged, "Maybe on the holodecks. She just got back an hour ago from the little distraction party you people came up with."

With that, she went on her way. Shelby turned to Sela and Volskiar, a slightly pained look on her face.

"Sorry about that. Lieutenant Soleta was just reenlisted a week ago. She's still acclimating to protocol," Shelby said apologetically.

As they continued, they ran into a woman in exercise gear and holding a sheathed sword.

"Jean-Luc! Elizabeth! I'll assume these are our Romulan guests that Burgy just warned me about?" she said.

"Yes, they are," Picard said, "Kenzy, these are General Volskiar and Commander Sela. General, Commander, this is Captain Mackenzie Calhoun."

"Oh God, the formalities are back," Calhoun said as she continued on her way.

"Kenzy," Picard started.

"Don't you start on me, Jean-Luc. I'm off-duty," she replied, not stopping.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Tasha Yar stretched and moved in the style of Klingon Mok'bara. She'd had a Klingon officer under her command, but Worf had left a few years ago. Tasha wondered if he was one of the Alliance's lackeys now.

The holodecks doors swished open and let in Beverly Crusher and Deanna Troi, who were followed by Elizabeth Shelby, Kenzy Calhoun, Robin Lefler, Kat Mueller, Selar, and the newest addition, Soleta.

"Right then," Tasha said, "Where should we begin today?"

Deanna shrugged, "Maybe with some Tai Kwan Do."

"Sounds good," Tasha said, "Let's split up into pairs and take each other down."

This gathering of women on Holodeck Four had turned into a weekly thing since the war started. Although it was only senior staffs of the three starships in their squad, the other officers and enlisted crewman would randomly start sparring in the Ten-Forwards of their respective ships, irritating the bartenders, but getting some exercise. Hell, people would even start up a holodeck program, just to fight everything they saw for exercise.

Tasha paired off with Selar, who proceeded to deck her so fast that Tasha barely had time to blink. Soleta stood off to the side, looking a bit nervous. As they switched pairs, Tasha walked over to Soleta.

"Wanna go?" she asked. Soleta simply nodded. Not surprisingly, Tasha decked the Vulcan on the first try. Soleta scowled and tried again, this time with Selar.

Even as everyone else finished, the pair of Vulcans were still going strong. Selar swung out in a snap-kick, which Soleta grabbed easily and pulled down, dragging Selar off balance.

The doctor retaliated with a fierce boxing swing, but again, Soleta blocked it. Tasha looked over at Deanna, who had a small smile on her face. Beverly and Robin were awestruck, but the other three didn't even blink.

Selar finally dropped Soleta with a simple, yet quick move. As Soleta reached out for Selar's neck, probably to apply the nerve pinch, Selar grabbed her wrist and twisted behind the younger woman's back, pushing Soleta to the ground and pinning her there.

Kenzy clapped, "Not bad, ladies. Remind me not to piss either of you off."

"There should be an 'again' at the end of that statement," Elizabeth said. Kat stifled a laugh.

"Not today, Eppy," Kenzy retorted. Deanna smiled, probably catching all of their vibes. The routine was interrupted by a group of ensigns walking in. Though the younger crewmembers were nervous, the pair of captains all but ordered them to join the little sparring match they were having.

! #$%^&*()))(*&^%$# !

William Riker had no idea what he was getting into here. As he looked around the table, Tasha Yar kept a perfectly straight face as she held her hand in front of her. Data, still wearing that ridiculous visor, was flipping a poker chip between two fingers. Beverly Crusher's face was scrunched up as she contemplated her cards. Geordi LaForge had folded already and was laughing silently at the expression on Deanna Troi's face, which was one of mischief.

"Fold," Beverly said, laying her cards down on the table. Data folded too.

Tasha and Deanna whispered something to each other before smiling and focusing their attention on Will, who suddenly felt nervous.

He looked down at his cards, a King of Hearts and a Queen of Hearts. Tasha and Deanna continued to smile at him.

Beverly laughed out loud, joined by Geordi. Data cocked his head to the side.

"What are you laughing about?" the android asked.

"Just watch, Data. Just watch," Beverly said.

Will finally was fed up with the creepy smiles.

"Fold!" he said quickly. The pair of women revealed their hands to be a four of hearts with a three of spades and a two of spades with a ten of diamonds.

"How the hell?" Will demanded, "They cheated."

"I see what you were referring to," Data said before turning to Will, "I believe, sir, that you 'caved under the pressure'."

Will was pretty sure that crewman passing in the corridor could hear the laughter from the table. As Data shuffled for another round, Deanna leaned over and smiled.

"Maybe next time, Will," she said sweetly.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Captain Shelby didn't exactly look happy. As Lieutenant Commander Gleau waited in front of her, the blonde human woman looked back and forth between him and Lieutenant Soleta, who had a bruise on her cheek.

"So you had an accident, Lieutenant Commander?" Shelby finally asked.

"Yes, Captain," he said. Soleta lifted an eyebrow.

"You have something to say, Lieutenant?" Shelby asked the Vulcan.

"Yes, Captain. I believe that the Lieutenant Commander is too ashamed to admit that I kicked his ass for tormenting Lieutenant M'Ress by assigning her to duties that I was doing back at the Academy. M'Ress is a full lieutenant, and therefore should be assigned duties in accordance with her skills," Soleta said.

"So you got into a fight, then," the captain said, sighing.

"Yes ma'am," Soleta replied calmly.

"Here I thought you would be easy to handle. Damn, I should have listened to McHenry. Okay, Lieutenant, you're not to leave your quarters except for duty until further notice. Lieutenant Commander, if you're not on duty, you're either in the labs or in your quarters. Neither one of you sets foot in Ten-Forward at the same time for the foreseeable future. Got it?" Shelby ordered.

"Yes ma'am," the pair chorused before leaving.

Gleau marched sharply to his quarters and sat down at his desk. As he typed out a message to an old friend of his back on Selelvia, he knew exactly what he was going to do with Lieutenant M'Ress.

He was going to transfer her off this ship and out of his damn hair. She was becoming too much of a problem. Gleau wasn't about to let himself get beat up by a Vulcan half-breed with anger and abandonment issues.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Picard listened carefully to what General Volskiar was telling him. Romulus had just sent him a priority message telling him that he should return soon.

"It is most likely that the Empire has come under attack by the newly formed Alliance," Volskiar finished.

Picard looked at his two fellow captains, both of whom scowled.

"My crew's been itching for a fight since Cor Coroli IV, Jean-Luc. Let's give it to them," Calhoun said. Shelby nodded in agreement.

"Well," Sela started, speaking for the first time since the impromptu meeting had started, "I may be able to confirm these facts through a few… resources I have at my disposal."

"Do it," Volskiar ordered.

"Ensign Crusher will show you how to operate our communications console on the bridge," Picard said. Sela nodded and left to follow the orders she had been given.

"So, General. Want to see how the newly reformed MACOs managed to beat the Empire two hundred years back?" Calhoun asked.

Volskiar stared at her, "Excuse me?"

"She was asking if you wanted to use the MACOs for defensive purposes if Romulus is truly under attack," Shelby clarified.

"At least someone understood that," Picard said.

"I put up with her for four years back at the Academy," Shelby explained.

Calhoun snorted, "Put up with me. More like you were stuck with me."

"And I like that description better," Shelby replied without missing a beat. As the two captains bickered light-heartedly, Volskiar turned to Picard.

"Is this normal?" he asked.

"Always, General. Always, with these two," Picard said before noting the expression on the General's face.

"Is something wrong?" he asked quietly.

"I had an elder daughter, Sela's older sister. She disappeared from her ship seven years ago. They used to have frequent arguments like that," Volskiar replied.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Data noticed the Romulan commander's face slowly pale as she read the messages she was receiving.

"Oh Elements," she murmured, almost to herself before turning to Commander Riker.

"I'd go to whatever your Starfleet form of battle preparations are. Yellow Alert, correct?" she said.

"Yes. Why?" Riker asked.

"Romulus is under siege from a massive armada of Klingon, Cardassian, and Dominion ships. Civilian casualties are already over a million," Sela explained.

Riker's face paled, "Red Alert!"

The three captains and the general came onto the bridge quickly.

"Romulus is under siege, Captains," Riker reported as Volskiar and Sela conferred quietly, "Over a million civilian casualties."

"Merde," Captain Picard murmured. Shelby and Calhoun requested emergency transports to their own bridges. Volskiar looked over at Picard.

"Who is your science officer?" he asked.

"I am, sir," Data replied at Picard's nod, "I am Lieutenant Commander Data."

Sela leaned over to Volskiar and murmured something to him. The General nodded in reply.

"Can you get any long-range scans of Romulan territory?" he asked.

"Yes sir. I have been correlating the data for the past 6.78 seconds. Romulan territory holds now more than a thousand Alliance ships and only three hundred Romulan ships have survived so far," Data reported.

"Shit," Sela swore, "Maybe Liviana's near the border, or Charvanek. They can be trusted."

"Agreed," Volskiar said, "Contact any ship that you believe will help and not just flee."

"Aye sir," the younger officer replied before turning back to the communications station she had been using. The bridge lights were dim and the Red Alert lights flashed as the klaxon went off.

Data noticed just how oddly ironic it was that the color was red when they were to be fighting for Romulans, who were green-blooded, as he computed the necessary data needed to rescue as many civilians as possible.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Commander Charvanek of Romulan Intelligence sprinted through the dank tunnels, drawing closer to her target. As she ran out into a massive cavern, she saw who she was looking for: Ambassador Spock and his followers.

"You need to leave, now!" she shouted over the rumbling from the orbital bombardment of the city above. People trickled into the cavern around her, bringing wounded and survivors.

"Commander, you know very well that I cannot leave these people to die," Spock said.

"Then don't!" she shouted in reply, "Three Federation ships just entered orbit, along with nearly two hundred warbirds. More Federation ships are on the way, at least a hundred. They'll be here in a few more hours."

"Very well. D'Tan, prepare to transport the wounded to-" Spock began, only to be cut off by the shimmering of transporter beams nearby.

A team of twenty officers and personnel materialized, quickly dispersing to provide aid. The rumbling from above slowly tapered off as the attacking ships were distracted by the newcomers.

"Ambassador!" one officer called out, a human female with red hair.

"Doctor Crusher. Thank you for coming," Spock said in greeting.

"Well, let's see how many people we can fit in our fleet," she said, "Lieutenant Soleta! Round up the unwounded to help transport the wounded aboard!"

"On it!" a Vulcan shouted over the noise in the cavern.

General Volskiar walked over to Charvanek, followed by another human officer, this one a male with the pips of a commander.

"Commander Charvanek, Ambassador Spock," Volskiar said, "Perhaps you should leave now?"

"No way in hell. Not until these people are out of here," Charvanek replied acidly.

"I concur," Spock said.

"Alright then," the human said, "I'm Commander Jack Crusher of the _USS Excalibur_. We'll see about setting you to work."

"I'll be on the surface rescuing people," Charvanek tossed over her shoulder as she left, "Coming, Spock?"

"Of course, Charvanek," Spock replied as he followed her into the tunnel system.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Sela ran amongst the rubble on the surface, using a Starfleet tricorder to search for survivors. The android, Data, kept pace, using his superior strength to pull up the debris as needed.

"I have one over here!" Sela shouted as her tricorder beeped. Before she could go any further, Data slammed into her, knocking her to the ground and out of the way of a Jem'Hadar blaster shot.

"Thanks," she said as she rolled up and took out the soldier. Her father and Commander Crusher ran over, followed by Ambassador Spock and Commander Charvanek. Subcommander Devras scuffled nearby with a Cardassian soldier, killing the enemy a short time later.

"We need to leave now!" Crusher said, "There's not much time left before the orbital bombardment of the city recommences."

"No! Not while there are survivors!" Sela snapped, running off. Data followed, only to grab her arm and pull her back.

"Whoever was alive over there is no longer alive. Look!" the android snapped.

"Data, turn the emotion chip off," Crusher ordered, "We don't need you getting overwhelmed now."

"Aye sir," Data said, his tone returning to a calm even one. Sela used the distraction to break free and turn around.

Only to see a bomb go off, destroying the pile of debris she had wanted to search for survivors.

Her face burning, she turned back to the group.

"Fine," she said, feeling defeated, "Let's go."

They were just about to transport back to the _Enterprise_ when a trio of Klingon soldiers appeared and fired off three perfectly placed shots, all hits.

As they rematerialized, Sela's world went dark.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$#!

Beverly Crusher ran into Sickbay, intending to work on the three wounded that had just been brought in, but saw two body bags and an unconscious Commander Sela, who looked as if she had been shot.

Jean-Luc waited for her, his face grim. The fact that he occasionally glanced over at one of the body bags sent chills down Beverly's spine.

"Beverly," he began, but his voice failed him.

Finally, he simply said, "I'm sorry."

She turned to open the body bag he had been glancing at, only to see her husband's face. A Romulan officer being treated nearby pushed away the nurse treating her and slid off the biobed, walking over and putting a hand on Beverly's shoulder, pushing her into a chair situated nearby.

Beverly couldn't take it anymore. She dissolved into tears. Nurse Alyssa Ogawa took charge quickly, not wanting to disturb the grieving CMO.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Wesley Crusher walked onto the holodeck with the intention of hiding from his feelings, but found Lieutenant Soleta there instead, taking out her anger on a punching bag, the kind that people back in Earth's 21st century would use.

As he turned to leave, Soleta spoke up.

"Feel like taking a swing at one of these?" she asked, almost conversationally.

Wes thought about it, then nodded, "Yea. I think I need it."

"Your dad was Commander Crusher, right?" she asked, not turning away from the bag as he stepped up to the one next to her.

"Yea. But I don't want any pity," he said, feeling defensive.

Soleta snorted, "I wasn't going to give any. My parents were murdered by Klingons back on Cor Coroli IV."

Wes said nothing to that, just punched and kicked the bag. After a while, he noticed Soleta watching him.

"You know, if you altered the form just a little bit, you could actually use those moves against a living person. Not that they would stay that way for long," she said.

"Would you teach me?" he asked, turning away to grab a quick gasp of air.

"Sure," she said, "As long as you don't mind practicing with a bunch of officers. I usually hang out here in the mornings. About 0400, before I go on duty."

"I'll be there," Wes said. Soleta nodded and walked out of the holodeck, leaving Wes to change the program to a martial arts training one, like the type that the MACOs-in-training used.

**AN- So, here's the angsty ending to this particular chappie. Hope nobody minds how AU this has gotten. As for the Romulan survivors, they'll have a big part in the next chapter. Allons-y and Geronimo!**


	3. Chapter 3

"Is this even physically possible? I mean, it's not every day that someone just simply travels through time that easily, even if it is Captain Kirk."

There was the sound of someone stifling laughter and someone else coughed.

"No. It's not. But if our favorite science officer says it is, then we'll go with it," Captain Mackenzie Calhoun stated with a small laugh.

Lieutenant Soleta lifted an eyebrow, "Usually, I'd say yes. But today, and under these circumstances? Oh hell no. It wouldn't have a chance in all the hells of working or even being feasible."

The first officer stifled a snicker at Soleta's typically candid attitude.

"Ah, our favorite half-Romulan has spoken. What does the Vulcan half say today?" Commander Natasha Yar said from her post right in front of Soleta, at tactical.

"The same, just with less emotion," the science officer replied calmly.

"She hath spoken," Lieutenant Mark McHenry stated theatrically.

"Indeed," Vulcan Healer Selar commented with a lifted eyebrow.

Calhoun gave a short laugh, "Ladies and gentlemen, the comedy continues. Now hop to it, people. We've got a rendezvous in three hours with Romulan Battle Fleet _Mnhei'sahe_ and we really can't afford to miss a meeting with the Praetor. I want the shuttle bay and Ten-Forward decked out with full ceremonial hangings. See if one of you can coordinate with the _Enterprise_ and the _Trident_ and see what they'll have hanging. We'll host them here if need be. Guest quarters, about seven, need to be prepared for the visiting dignitaries, including the Praetor."

Ensign Robin Lefler sputtered a bit before squeaking, "The Praetor of the Romulan Star Empire will be here?!"

"Yes, Lefler, you heard me right," the Xenexian woman replied with a smirk, "Praetor Neral will be here with a few Senators and a high-ranking admiral or two. So be on your best behavior and yes, Soleta, I'm talking specifically to you. No bar fights. I'm having Zak pull MACOs to supplement his security forces to… enforce the peace. Now get to work and stop hanging around."

Selar disappeared into the turbolift with Soleta, who was on her way to test history. Mark and Robin started to discuss decorations for Ten-Forward and the guest quarters over the inter-ship comm channel with Lieutenant Herman Livingston, the quartermaster.

Tasha leaned over the tactical console and whispered to Kenzy, "Are you seriously putting those three in charge of decorations?"

"No, actually. They just think I am. Jean-Luc has a Romulan friend on Vulcan who just so happens to be heading out to meet us with his wife, the new Healer in our little family."

"Ah. So he's the one who's married to Healer T'Selis. I wish him luck," Tasha grinned.

"Speaking of Romulans, how's Commander Sela? Have you heard from her recently?"

"No. She's been on some secret mission for the past couple of weeks. I think she's done with that now. I do hope it went well," Tasha fretted.

"Have I ever told you how much you sound like an old lady when you worry?" Kenzy asked slyly.

"Oh, piss off… Captain," Tasha teased, jerking back to her own side of the tactical console before Kenzy could swing at her.

"Damn. I must be getting old if I can't reach you before you escape," she sighed.

"Not old. No one would ever dare say that to you, Captain!" Tasha gasped with mock surprise.

Kenzy gave her friend and first officer the evil eye before laughing.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Captain Jean-Luc Picard looked over at Ensign Crusher. He was bouncing again at his station and it seemed to be driving Will Riker partially insane.

Will was at tactical until their replacement officer could arrive while Wesley was at the helm. Beverly was sitting in Will's chair and stifling laughter at her son's antics. Data was at the science station, occasionally taking notes of what was going on.

Geordi LaForge sat at Operations for now. They were waiting for a replacement officer for that post, as well.

Will's attention was snapped away from Wesley when his board beeped.

"A large number of ships decloaking ahead, Captain. All Romulan," he reported.

"Will you look at that," Geordi said softly, his voice tinged with wonder.

Of the several dozen Romulan warbirds that had just decloaked, at least a dozen read on the sensors as being crammed to the brim with civilian survivors of the Romulus invasion.

"What, are they asking them to stand sideways?" Wesley wondered aloud.

Fourteen more shimmered into view, all cargo ships and all packed full.

"Sir, there's a massive ship decloaking!" Will warned.

A giant ship decloaked and a hail beeped on Will's board.

"On screen," Picard ordered as he stood out of respect for who was inevitably going to answer.

The face of Romulan Praetor Neral appeared.

"_Captain Picard. I trust you are doing well?_" the Praetor asked courteously.

"Yes, Praetor. I hope the same goes for you, sir. If I may, what ship is that? Nobody in Starfleet has seen anything quite like it," Picard replied.

"_This is the _Tyrava_, Captain. A Ship-Clan vessel built a hundred years ago. And I believe that many of the older generations would beg to differ with your earlier statement. Some of them met Captain Kirk, if I am correct,_" Neral answered.

"I stand corrected, Praetor. Your ship or mine?" he asked, straightening his tunic.

"_Yours, Captain. The _Tyrava_ is in a state of emergency right now. Every available space has been converted to passenger quarters, including the meeting hall,_" Neral explained succinctly.

"Of course. The _Excalibur_ is already prepared. Picard out," he ended the communication before turning to Will.

"Get the senior staffs of both the _Enterprise_ and the _Trident_ to the _Excalibur_ as quickly as you can, all in dress uniform. Within five minutes, if possible," Picard ordered.

"Yes sir," Riker responded, "You heard him, people. Get to the _Excal_, double time!"

Beverly stifled another laugh, "And how long have you been waiting to say that?"

"Since I first joined Starfleet," Will replied proudly.

Picard shook his head and left to put on his dress uniform.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Captain Elizabeth Shelby stifled a sigh as she tugged at her gold and white dress uniform one last time before stepping onto the transporter pad.

"Even now, they still haven't changed how uncomfortable these damned things are," she muttered. Katerina Mueller laughed.

"Get used to it, Captain. I've tried to send them a memo or two but they've all been ignored," she teased.

Shelby mock-scowled at her first officer, who smiled innocently back.

"Energize," she ordered.

Prudence Halliwell, whose twin sister happened to be the transporter chief on the _Excalibur_, manipulated the controls to send them to their sister ship.

Chief Patience Halliwell smiled when she saw them, "Welcome aboard, Captain, Commander. The others are already in the shuttle bay. You're the last ones to arrive."

"Thank you, Chief," Shelby said as she led Mueller into the corridor and to the shuttle bay.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Senator Cretak carefully observed as Senator Hiren paced the small confines of their shuttle.

"Why is this place so small?" he snapped finally. Admiral Lara raised an eyebrow.

"Considering the larger shuttles have been converted to medical capsules for the wounded and ill, this is the largest shuttle available for these purposes," she replied, her face as composed as that of a Vulcan. Praetor Neral listened and gave a small smile.

Admiral Taris sat and kept a wary eye on the Senator next to her, Vreenak. Cretak knew he wasn't going to do much of anything, not with the way his wife was giving him the evil eye.

The final shuttle occupants were in the cockpit. Commander Sela expertly piloted the shuttle into the _Excalibur_'s shuttle bay. The woman next to her, a shy former prisoner of the Cardassians, watched in slight awe as the large ship's bay doors opened to greet them.

"_Excalibur_ Shuttle Bay, this is the Romulan shuttle _Leirrhn._ Requesting permission to dock," the blonde asked over the comm channel.

"_Shuttle _Leirrhn_, this is _Excalibur_ Shuttle Bay Control. You have been cleared for docking. Sure looks like a party is forming down on the deck,_" a young man's voice answered.

"Understood. Shuttle _Leirrhn_ out," Sela ended the communication and manually set the shuttle down in the large shuttle bay. She stood and moved over to the hatch controls.

When she opened the hatch, a full Starfleet honor guard awaited them. Neral stepped out first, followed by the Senators and the admirals. Sela and her companion secured the shuttle and left last.

"Welcome aboard the _Starship Excalibur_, Praetor," Captain Mackenzie Calhoun greeted them formally.

Cretak observed that while the officers were all in perfect dress uniform, one of them appeared to have hastily arrived just before they'd set down. A few others looked extremely uncomfortable and only one looked truly comfortable in hers. Although, she was a Vulcan.

The tour was brief, as there was a shift change occurring at the moment, as Captain Calhoun explained. A few of the officer peeled off to return to their duties. Any crew they passed didn't even bother to pay attention, although they were trying a little too obviously not to. The ones who did glance at them were security staff and their glances evaluated each person as a potential threat.

The only one who seemed truly at ease here was Commander Sela. Granted, she had been to this ship before, and relatively recently at that.

One officer in sciences blue stopped the first officer and asked some inane question about science lab usage.

Commander Yar nodded and gave the needed permission. The scientist went off and went back to work.

"So, this is the end of the tour," Calhoun stated, "Commander Yar will show you to your quarters. Enjoy your stay!"

With that, she left, meeting a Vulcan on the way to the nearest turbolift. The Vulcan seemed unusually animated for one of an emotionless race.

"This way, if you please," Yar told them, leading them to a section of quarters, seven of them.

All were rather finely furnished in Romulan styles. Praetor Neral assessed the rooms quickly in a glance.

"I must say, your people do know a lot about Romulan culture," he commented, a hint of suspicion in his voice.

"Well, we happen to have a Romulan guest on the _Enterprise_. He was quite willing to help," Yar said, not displaying any reaction to his words.

"Indeed, Commander. Thank you. That will be sufficient," he replied. Yar nodded and returned to her duties.

"An odd coincidence that there is a Romulan on the other ship," Cretak commented drily.

Admiral Taris shook her head, "I've heard stories of a commander who left to take someone, a sick man, to Vulcan for treatment. He could never return. This could be him."

Vreenak lifted an eyebrow, "I've heard those stories, too. I've always believed they were just stories."

"They're true," Admiral Lara admonished her husband, "I personally met this young man myself. Commander Ruanek. His patron was Senator Avrak."

"Him, I remember," Neral muttered.

Cretak exchanged a look with Lara before they all left for their own respective quarters to prepare for the coming conference on Earth.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Counselor Deanna Troi stretched as she enjoyed the clear San Francisco morning. People bustled about around her small yoga group, going about their business. The instructor, a slim Andorian woman, changed her pose slowly so the others could follow her moves.

Deanna kept an empathic "eye" out for any potential trouble. Just a week ago, some hungover civilian had loudly harassed Lieutenant Eris Havard, causing the young human woman to shy away from people again. Deanna had been treating her for two months now, helping her with a chronic case of shyness.

Just then, Lieutenant Commander Rissa sh'Thylek's commbadge beeped.

She stood and tapped it, "This is sh'Thylek. Go ahead."

"_Lieutenant Commander. Please report to Admiral Nechayev at your earliest convenience,_" the tinny voice ordered.

"Yes, sir. Sh'Thylek out."

Rissa bent down to pick up her mat and her shoes.

"I guess this means I'm shipping out. I'll catch you the next time we're all on Earth. Class dismissed," she said with a small smile.

Deanna stood and rolled up her mat. The others did the same. As she was headed back to her apartment, walking barefoot, a voice caught her attention. A man, in uniform, amongst a group of other officers, waved his arms.

"Deanna!" he shouted. A grin spread across her face.

"Will! I had no idea you were back on Earth!" she smiled, jogging over to meet him, "Hello, all of you!"

Geordi grinned. Data bid her hello. Beverly and Wesley hugged her. A human woman stood off to the side.

"Hello, Ensign Lefler!" Deanna greeted the young woman.

"Hi," Robin Lefler replied. Deanna laughed when she felt the young ensign's nervousness.

"I take it that you're a little intimidated by the sheer volume of senior officers in the area?" she asked conspiratorially.

"Kinda," Lefler admitted.

"I see that a couple of people are missing," Deanna commented slyly.

"In a meeting. I managed to worm my way out, but it seems that Captain Calhoun succeeded in dragging Tasha along," Will explained.

"I look forward to meeting Captain Calhoun, then," Deanna grinned.

Geordi coughed a bit at that, "Yea, if you enjoy crazy people."

Lefler mock-scowled at Geordi, "Lefler's law 124: Normal does not exist."

Beverly, who'd been holding in laughter the entire time, lost it at that.

People stared at the laughing group of officers as they passed by, but didn't think twice about it. Laughter was a great way to relieve the stress of war.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

"It's not every day you see a Vulcan beating the shit out of a punching bag."

Soleta turned to glare at the Romulan man who'd appeared behind her.

"I'm only half-Vulcan," she snapped before returning her attention to the sand bag before her.

"I take it that the other half is human or Romulan?" he replied calmly.

"Romulan."

"I'm Ruanek. What's your name?"

"Lieutenant Soleta. I am the science officer here."

"Lovely. Hey, have you seen Healer T'Selis anywhere? She came over here to meet with Healer Selar," Ruanek asked, shifting his weight and looking around the black walls and gold lines of the holodeck.

"No."

"Alright then. Well, good bye, Lieutenant."

With that, he left. Soleta lifted an eyebrow as she continued her workout but neglected to comment on anything to the thin air, choosing instead to glare at the hidden spy eye on the opposite wall.

A few minutes later, a new bag appeared a few feet away from her. The doors swished open behind her and a silent Wesley Crusher walked in, dropped his uniform jacket on the floor and took out his anger on the new punching bag. Soleta kept her thoughts to herself generally, although she couldn't help but to wonder what in the hell that bag had done to him.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Someone cleared their throat really loudly right behind Tasha Yar, causing her to jump slightly. A bemused Jean-Luc Picard stood behind her.

"The meeting is over now, Natasha. Maybe you should get some rest before you have to be back on duty at 0800 hours tomorrow," he suggested kindly.

Tasha yawned hugely and then stood up, rubbing her face a bit, "No, no. I'm good, really, Captain. I just zoned out there for a bit."

"I'll believe that after you get at least eight hours of sleep," he replied, lifting an eyebrow at her.

"I can't. I told Will that I would meet him and the others at 602 Club to celebrate Deanna's new posting," Tasha answered honestly.

Picard looked surprised at that, "What is Counselor Troi's new posting?"

Tasha smiled, "She's been assigned as a fleet counselor. Ours, to be exact."

He nodded, "I'll have to congratulate her myself when she comes aboard. Tell her I look forward to seeing her again."

"Will do, sir," Tasha said, "Shall we?"

He nodded and with a small smile, allowed her to be the first out of the conference room. Just a few feet away and behind a corridor, Kenzy Calhoun and Commander Sela taught Data two things: how to use a listening device and how to make bets on the fly.

As a slightly disappointed Kenzy slapped a few strips of gold-pressed latinum into Sela's hand, Data observed how the rather far-fetched nature of their bet would be rather useful in the future.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

"Oh Lord, here they come again."

"Don't they have anything better to do than to hang around here? They're the senior staff of the flagship, for God's sake."

"Do we have anything better to do?"

"Good point."

The small gaggle of junior officers watched as the senior staff of the _Starship Enterprise_ claimed a table and celebrated something or another. One woman, a pretty dark-haired Betazoid, seemed to be the center of the attention.

"To Deanna, the best damned counselor in the 'Fleet!" one, a man in civilian clothes toasted.

"Hear, hear!" the other chorused.

A blonde woman stood and went over to the bar to get more drinks. The only android in Starfleet helped her, much to her obvious irritation.

"You know," a young teen said, "I wonder how mad you'd be if I-"

"Don't you even think about it, Wesley!" a red-headed human woman protested, causing the others to laugh. A man wearing a visual aid handed Wesley a bottle of something brown.

"This is root beer, Wes. Now, you don't have to worry about feeling left out. See? I've got one too," he explained, holding up his own similar bottle.

Laughter went up around the table. The blonde struggled not to fall out of her chair, instead leaning against the android as she laughed. The Betazoid actually did fall out of her chair, causing another round of laughter.

An older human man made his way over to them through the throng of people in the 602 Club. He was still in uniform, with a captain's pips on his collar.

"I apologize for being late. I was held up in a quick meeting," he apologized.

"Grab a chair and a drink, not necessarily in that order!" the man who'd congratulated the Betazoid told the captain.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Geordi LaForge groaned when he woke up. His head was pounding and he felt an odd pressure on his leg. He looked at his leg and remembered.

After they'd ended their celebration at the 602, they had all ended up in Deanna's rather nice townhouse. After a round of poker, Captain Picard had politely excused himself before he got too drunk.

The rest had stayed and ended up passed out on each other. It was Tasha's head on his leg. And by God, she snored loudly. Data was obviously awake and held a recording device in his hand, a small smile on his face.

"Put that damn thing away," Geordi protested before wincing. His own voice sounded too damned loud.

Will and Deanna were sprawled across each other, her head on his chest. That was where Data was filming.

"They are a rather… cute couple, are they not?" Data asked softly so as to not give Geordi a headache.

"Yea. They are. Who wants to make a bet as to when they'll get married?" Tasha murmured sleepily, sitting up and yawning. She didn't seem to have a hangover at all.

"Well, I'll say about a year or so. Current political state notwithstanding," Geordi quipped. Beverly sat up from underneath the table, accidentally disturbing Wesley, who slept peacefully in a chair, his head pillowed in his arms.

"Eight," the teen muttered sleepily.

"I'll wager two," Tasha put in.

"Three and a half," Beverly suggested.

Data nodded, "I calculate that they will marry in approximately seven point eight one years."

"Stop being so damned exact," Geordi protested.

"He's a walking calculator, it's his job," Tasha said with a soft laugh.

"Amongst other things," Data agreed.

"What?" Deanna asked as she yawned. Will stirred.

The others burst out laughing, only to wince a few seconds later.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

"Why do you look like you've been through the ringer?"

Jean-Luc looked up blearily to see his old Academy friend, Captain Stephanie Rogers, standing in front of his desk.

"Because I made the mistake of visiting 602 last night. We were celebrating Counselor Troi's new posting to our battle group," he told her.

The tall blonde nodded patiently before sighing, "Jeannie, do you not remember what happened the last time we went there? If I remember correctly, Zweller almost slept with Marta and you attempted to sing some rowdy song in French."

Picard winced, "Don't remind me, Steph. It's bad enough that any of us remember that night clearly, not to mention the pictures and videos that are still making their way through today's cadets."

"As a warning to never get that drunk, ever," Stephanie agreed, "So, how have you been?"

"I've been well. My crew seems to make it a game to come up with impossible solutions to impossible problems."

"Oh, so a normal day's work. Got it," she joked.

"More like a typical day. No one seems to believe in normal these days," Picard told her, standing and walking over to the large window that had a fantastic view of a San Francisco sunrise.

Stephanie shook her head, "Listen, Jean-Luc, there's a small gathering of commanding officers in a new restaurant that just opened up downtown. It's an Italian restaurant named Digiacintos. It's small, family owned, and open to all. Wanna drop by?"

He turned to face her and saw that she was leaning on his desk rather nonchalantly.

"I'd love to, Stephanie. I take it I'll need to be there about 1900 hours?"

"You got it," she answered happily, "See you there, Jeannie."

Picard was just sitting back down, feeling an immense wave of relief as she left when Stephanie stopped and turned.

"On your left," she cast back over her shoulder. The thump of Picard's head hitting the desk followed her out the door as she laughed.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

A small cargo ship dropped out of warp near the _Starship Enterprise_ and instantly threw the entire defense force surrounding Earth into a red alert, simply because the vessel was of Klingon design.

"Open hailing frequencies," Lieutenant Commander Desma, second and science officer of the _USS Trident_.

"Frequencies open, sir," Lieutenant Arex Na Eth reported.

The face of a rather bedraggled Romulan woman appeared on screen.

"_Are you Starfleet? Oh, yes you are! Oh, thank the Elements! We've been trying to get to Earth for a month now, but our warp drive broke and our distress signal didn't pick up any attention!_" she gasped, "_I'm Doctor Maya T'Jul, with the Interspecies Medical Exchange. There are five other doctors here and more patients than we can handle. They keep dying because we don't have the equipment or the supplies to deal with them!"_

"Please, calm down, Doctor. I'm Lieutenant Commander Desma. We can start beaming your passengers aboard as soon as we check your ship through our systems."

"_Oh, to hell with protocol. I see the _Excalibur_ hanging off your port bow. Tell Captain Calhoun that I'd like a word with her about the current level of stupidity in Starfleet! You tell her exactly that, you hear!"_ the doctor raged.

A slim human man appeared behind her.

"_Maya, calm down,"_ he told her in a British-sounding accent, "_They have to do their jobs somehow."_

Turning to face the screen, he spoke to Desma, "_Sorry about our excitable resident Romulan. I'm Doctor Julian Bashir, I'm with Starfleet Medical. Everyone on this ship is friendly to Starfleet. We have Romulan civilians from the homeworld aboard. We've already lost thirteen of our original fifty-seven passengers. I'm afraid it's taking a toll on all of us."_

A slim Klingon woman appeared behind Bashir.

"_Bashir, we've lost another one,"_ she told him, her voice shadowed with anger, "_I'd like to take my mother's Honor Blade to whoever the hell did this and tear their throats out."_

Desma stiffened and Bashir noticed.

"_I'll explain everything when we meet in person, Lieutenant Commander. _Narendra_ out_," Bashir promised before he cut the channel.

"Honor Blades?" Lieutenant Shiboline M'Ress asked, "I didn't know that Klingons carried those."

"They don't," Desma ordered, "I'd like to know more about this cargo vessel. Lieutenant Arex, lock on a tractor beam and pull her up to dock. I'll meet the crew at the airlock. Alert Starfleet Command of the situation and tell Sickbay to prep for patients.

Arex nodded and carried out his orders.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Commander Sela slumped back in her chair and sighed. Across the table from her, her newfound friend looked up.

"Is there something wrong, Commander?" she asked.

The blonde half-Romulan glanced over at her, "No. Nothing. I just can't help but to wonder what we need to do to get you your memory back."

The slim black-haired, green-eyed Romulan woman had been in a Cardassian prison camp for seven years and had her entire memory erased. Now, the military wanted to know what she had discovered that had led to her imprisonment.

The woman cocked her head to one side, "If I knew, I would certainly help."

The door chime sounded and Sela muttered a rather vulgar Reman curse.

"Enter!" she called out.

Admiral Taris walked in and promptly stopped.

"I wasn't aware that you had guests," she said slowly. Her gaze was fixed on a point in Sela's bathroom.

"What?" Sela demanded, rising to her feet. In the bathroom was a human teenager, looking rather dusty.

"I'm sorry!" he squeaked, "I was just fixing a bit of wiring in the environmental control system and I fell out of the Jeffries tube and I-"

"Ensign Crusher," Sela stopped him before he could babble any further, "You are not in trouble. You may leave now."

The teen ran out, his face bright red. Sela sighed.

Taris lifted an eyebrow, "Rather odd that the child was here."

Sela glared at the older officer, "If you think he's a Federation spy, perhaps you should take that up with Doctor Crusher. I'm sure she would be able to confirm or deny her son's actions."

"You seem to know this ship's personnel well, Commander. That's good," Taris complimented her, "I actually wanted to speak to you about an… opportunity."

"Go ahead," Sela said warily.

"Praetor Neral has just negotiated a program with President Zife. He suggested that Starfleet and Romulan officers participate in an exchange program to better understand our new allies," Taris explained, "Perhaps you would like to participate."

"Considering I am the commander of a shuttle that has a crew of two, I'll join. I'm taking her with me. No one seems to know who she is anyway," Sela agreed, jerking her thumb in the direction of the silent dark-haired woman.

"Very well. You may keep your shuttle, if you wish," Taris compromised.

"I will. Thank you, Admiral, for this opportunity."

"And thank you, Commander, for not making me order you."

With that, Taris left. Sela instantly recognized the meaning behind her words. There was no choice being given to the officers who were selected to participate. If they said no, they'd be ordered to participate anyway. Better to say yes and save some small part of one's pride and dignity.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Elizabeth was in a rather foul mood. First, a boring senior officer meeting. Then a rather dull lunch with Picard, Calhoun, and Jellico. Now, there was a cargo ship with a potential spy aboard. A very piss-poor spy at that.

The six IME doctors stepped off of the transporter pad. One, a burly Tellarite, promptly collapsed and fell asleep. A med-tech muttered a curse and heaved him onto a gurney. The other five looked like utter hell.

There was a Romulan, a human, a Trill, a Bajoran, and a Klingon. All wore some semblance of the IME uniform, with the exception of the human, who wore a tattered Starfleet uniform.

"Hello," the Romulan said, "I'm Doctor Maya T'Jul. These are Julian Bashir, Kira Nerys, Jadzia Dax, and Kilani. Our Tellarite friend is called Grev."

She pointed to the human, Bajoran, Trill, and then to the Klingon, who brushed a bit of hair away from her face to reveal a pointed ear.

So, they were definitely an eclectic bunch. The Trill, Dax, had a rather famous name, but the rest were unknown quantities.

"I'm Captain Elizabeth Shelby. I must admit, you all seem like an unlikely group of colleagues. Why don't you spin that story in the observation lounge?" she introduced herself.

Almost as soon as they found chairs in the lounge after a rather uneventful lift ride up, Kat Mueller walked in.

"Sorry I'm late, Captain. I was getting a report from Villers on the condition of the patients. Good news, they'll all survive. Bad news, they've got nowhere to go. None of the surviving Romulan ships has any room and the refugee settlements on Vulcan and Mars aren't completed yet," she reported.

"Thank you, Commander. Take a seat."

Dax started, telling a tale of how they'd all met each other.

+~+~Six Months Ago~+~+

_Julian Bashir sighed and looked around. He was on Betazed, enjoying what was supposed to be a comfortable shore leave. Instead, he felt a bit restless. A few other officers milled around the plaza, looking as lost as he was. There was a war going on and they were stuck on a planet far from the front._

_ His reverie was broken by the pretty Trill who took a seat across from him. She wore her uniform, as if she hadn't bothered to change._

_ "Looks boring, doesn't it?" she asked. Julian was surprised._

_ "Pardon?" he asked her, slightly confused._

_ "I was talking about the people wandering around, looking like their favorite pet died. I'm Lieutenant Commander Jadzia Dax, by the way," she said, a smile appearing on her face._

_ "Um, hi. I'm Lieutenant Julian Bashir, but I also answer to Doctor Bashir," he replied quickly._

_ Dax laughed, startling some of the Betazoid patrons, but they all smiled. It seemed like the sense of impending doom in the room lifted instantly._

_ "So, Doctor Bashir, what ship are you from?" she asked, her eyes sparkling._

_ "I'm from the _Bellerophone._ What ship are you from?" he answered._

_ "The _Defiant_. Captain Sisko's here looking for a new CMO. Perhaps you'd be interested in a transfer," Dax told him._

_ "Well, to tell you the truth, I'd love a transfer. Things on my current ship aren't going as well," Julian revealed, "The crew can't seem to accept the fact that I'm not any different from them just because I was genetically engineered as a child."_

_ Dax's face softened a bit, "I'm sorry. Captain Sisko wouldn't see it that way. Our chief of security is a changeling, one of the Founders, but he never knew his people."_

_ Suddenly, one of the engineers from the _Bellerophone_ spotted Julian and made his way over. The man's breath indicated that he had indeed been drinking heavily._

_ "Well, well, well, what do we have here? Lady, did you know that you're talking to one of Khan's Augments, a filthy scumbag," he sneered._

_ The smile on Dax's face disappeared and she instantly noted his rank on his collar._

_ "Stand down, Lieutenant," she ordered, making sure he could see her Lieutenant Commander's pips._

_ "You gonna make that an order, lovely?" he leered. Julian remembered his name suddenly. He was Lieutenant O'Hara, the assistant chief engineer._

_ Dax stood and flipped him over her shoulder, pulling a Klingon _mek'leth_ out of her boot and holding it to his throat as he lay on the floor._

_ "That's Lieutenant Commander Dax, to you, Lieutenant," she snapped, her good mood gone. The patrons all stared discreetly at what was occurring, but after ascertaining the man's current mental state, turned away._

_ Dax put away the _mek'leth _and turned away from O'Hara, sitting back down in her seat._

_ "How did you get the _mek'leth_?" Bashir asked, curious._

_ "Curzon received it from _Dahar_ Master Kor. Kor is still a good man, but he feels that the honor of the Empire is threatened," she explained._

_ "You're joined?" Julian questioned her before answering his own query, "Oh, of course you are! The Dax symbiont is one of the most famous Trill symbionts."_

_ "Well, thank you, Doctor," Jadzia said before catching sight of someone over Bashir's shoulder._

_ "Benjamin! I think I found you a new CMO!" she called out. A tall dark-skinned human man made his way over to them and sat down. He wore the uniform of a Starfleet captain and grinned at Dax and Bashir._

_ "Hello, Lieutenant. Old Man here seems to think you're the perfect candidate for my new CMO. Are you up for the job?" he asked, taking the third seat at the table._

_ "Yes sir. I was just telling Lieutenant Commander Dax about my current personal problems on the _Bellerophone_. I'd love to transfer off," Julian affirmed._

_ "Good. We leave tomorrow at 0700 hours. Be there and I'll finalize the rest with Captain Swanson," Sisko said._

+~+~Now~+~+

Elizabeth leaned back in her seat, "So you transferred over, then?"

"Yes. It's been one hell of a ride since," Bashir confirmed.

Dax smiled, "That it has."

Kat lifted an almost Vulcan eyebrow, "So what happened next?"

+~+~Four Months Ago~+~+

_Jadzia cursed in Klingon as something fell on her foot. Looking down, she saw a rather scary thing: It had been a ration bar._

_ Looking up, she saw the oddest thing. One of the grates in the ceiling had been knocked loose and there was a small packet of similar ration bars._

_ "Dax to Sisko," she said quietly after tapping her commbadge._

_ "_Sisko here. What is it, Old Man?_" his voice came back._

_ "Captain, I just found a grating loose here. There's a packet of ration bars up there and it's not Starfleet," she reported._

_ "_Are you sure?_" he asked, sounding rather confused._

_ "Yes sir. It looks like Bajoran writing on it. Weren't we just there? We could have picked up a stowaway," Dax suggested._

_ "_I'm sending Odo to your position. He'll try to find the intruder quietly. Meanwhile, tell no one of what you found,_" Sisko ordered._

_ "Yes sir. Dax out."_

_ A few minutes later, Odo came jogging up._

_ "This is where you saw the ration pack?" he asked gruffly._

_ "Yes. Here, you were on Bajor for a while, you translate it for me," Jadzia said, handing him the ration pack._

_ Odo looked thoughtful for a minute before his eyes widened a bit._

_ "This is a Resistance ration pack, Commander. This has handwriting on it, here. It's a name. The owner of this is somewhere nearby and must be very hungry," he mused._

_ Dax was about to say something else when a foot snaked out of the Jeffries tube above her and kicked her in the head._

_ She went down, commbadge knocked off and clattering down the corridor. People nearby heard the commotion and came running to see Odo holding a rather thin and dirty Bajoran woman in a head-lock while she struggled._

_ "Stop struggling already!" Odo snapped._

_ "I'm not telling you anything!" the woman retorted defiantly, "You're one of the Cardassians."_

_ "Nerys, knock it off!" he growled, startling her a bit._

_ She stopped struggling and a security guard grabbed her by the arms, gently, seeing Odo's glare._

_ "Odo?" Nerys asked, blowing a strand of shoulder-length red hair out of her eyes._

_ "Yes. Now just cooperate for once, Major. I wouldn't want to tempt Commander Dax over here," Odo warned her._

_ Jadzia was just sitting up, rubbing the back of her head._

_ "Nice kick," she commented, bringing a grin to Nerys's face._

+~+~Now~+~+

"You seriously stowed away aboard a Federation starship?" Shelby asked, slightly awestruck.

Kira nodded wryly, "I sure did. I'm surprised Captain Sisko let me stay."

Dax shook her head, "He wasn't about to let you face that death sentence that you would have faced upon your return to Bajor."

"That's why we had Odo," Kira grinned, "He covered for us so we could escape before any of us were executed."

Mueller whistled softly, "So, your little group was rather eclectic so far. Why is it that I keep thinking that Dax is the bonding element here?"

"Because she is," Bashir replied.

+~+~Three and a Half Months Ago~+~+

_Julian picked his way through a minefield of biobeds and patients. He was trying to find Jadzia, who wanted to show him something._

_ When he caught sight of her, she was debating the finer points of Klingon anatomy with a burly Tellarite while a slim Romulan viewed something through a microscope lens._

_ "Hey, Jadzia!" Julian called out, catching the Trill's attention._

_ "Hey, Julian!" she replied cheerfully, "Grev and Maya here found something and we want your opinion on it."_

_ "Well, what is it?" he asked._

_ Grev snorted, "It's a Klingon heart. The bastard was poisoned by the Romulans."_

_ The Romulan sighed, "No, he wasn't. This poison is of Cardassian manufacture and the man was Rigellian. He was a spy for the Federation. I met him once, back a year or so ago."_

_ "Well, why would they put a spy in the Klingon Empire before the war even started and how do you know what he was, or about the supposed origins of the poison that killed him?" Grev demanded._

_ "Because I used to work for the Tal Shiar, okay?" she snapped, "You happy now?"_

_ "Okay, now, let's play nice with each other, please," Julian begged them. Maya scowled and promptly turned her attention back to her microscope._

_ Julian leaned over her shoulder and took a look at what she was viewing. It was a blood sample._

_ "She's right, Grev. If this were a Klingon heart, the blood would be lavender-colored, but it's green here. That's evocative of a Vulcanoid heart. Because it was a Klingon being personified here, that rules out Vulcans. And, whatever poison killed this man was specifically targeted for Rigellians, or Maya here might well be dead too. It looks like he inhaled it, making it airborne, even in the bloodstream," Julian deduced quickly._

_ Grev instantly peppered him with questions about how he knew that and how he could possibly have known that unless he was a spy. Julian never noticed Maya whispering something to Jadzia, who grinned and said, "You're on."_

+~+~Now~+~+

"You made a bet about me and Grev?" Julian asked, feeling slightly miffed.

"You never knew?" Maya countered, "That's your own damned fault."

"Out of morbid curiosity," Shelby interrupted, "Who won?"

"I did," Dax said proudly, "But only because Julian managed to confuse Grev so bad that the poor man almost tripped over his own tongue."

"So, what about Kilani?" Mueller asked.

"We're getting to that," Jadzia grinned.

+~+~Three Weeks Ago~+~+

_Grev grumbled something foul in his native language as he and Maya made their way over to an angry patient._

_ "Why do we get the fun ones?" Maya hissed, noting that their patient was a Klingon woman in civilian clothes who looked to be in her mid-thirties. Well, not that Maya was a good judge of Klingon aging patterns._

_ "I don't want a Tellarite treating me!" the woman declared, "But I think I can stomach a Romulan."_

_ "So kind of you, miss, really," Maya retorted snidely, "Name?"_

_ "Kilani. Do you want the full version?"_

_ "Preferably, yes."_

_ "I am Kilani t'AAnikh, daughter of Jorvaq, of the House of Martok."_

_ "That's a Romulan house name," Maya commented nonchalantly as she did a quick tricorder scan, "And you are half-Romulan. Quick question, who are you rooting for here?"_

_ Kilani grinned, "For the Romulan Empire. Those _petaQ _may have wiped out my family and friends on Narendra III, but they have more honor than the Klingon Empire. How could they side with those shapeshifting_ hllaiwyill_ of the Gamma Quadrant?"_

_ "I'll let you find the answers on your own, thanks," Grev murmured. Kilani shot him a dirty look._

_ Dax wandered over and took a look at the tricorder._

_ "How do I know I can trust you?" she asked Kilani bluntly. Grev's eyes widened a bit and Maya stared. Bashir and Kira were a few meters away and were now bug-eyed in shock._

_ Kilani took her _d'k'tagh_ out and slapped it into Dax's palm._

_ In return, Dax pulled her _mek'leth_ out of her boot and put it in Kilani's hand._

_ They mutually swapped their blades back to their rightful owners and grinned._

_ "Welcome to the party," Jadzia said simply._

+~+~Now~+~+

Shelby whistled softly, "Now that's what I call guts."

"I still can't believe you did that," Maya told Jadzia.

"I still don't know why I even did it in the first place," Jadzia admitted.

"Well, I'd have stowed away on your ship anyway," Kilani revealed easily.

Kira sighed, "Thanks, but I think I was enough stowaway for one team."

Mueller gave a small smile, "You can never have enough of anything, especially potential spooks."

"We already have that," Julian pointed out, giving Maya a pointed look.

"So you're half-Romulan then?" Shelby confirmed, "And not just a shitty spy."

"Of course not," Kilani scoffed, "Maybe one day I'll tell all of you the full tale of how my parents met."

**AN- So, here's a decent chapter for you guys. 20 pages and the back story to a secondary set of characters that I may or may not be basing a spin-off story on. As you've noticed, some of them seem OOC. That's because there's an entirely new set of circumstances at play here, including a war. As a brief explanation as to what has happened so far, in case anybody is lost:**

**Alliance Powers: Cardassian Union, Dominion, Klingon Empire**

**Alpha Fleet Powers: United Federation of Planets, Romulan Star Empire**

**Basic set up for this entire story will be explained more later, as more and more new powers and people are added here. There are a few mysteries that I want to challenge your minds about until the next chapter:**

**One: Who do you guys think the strange Romulan woman is? I've purposely set this character up as extremely OOC from the character in the Prime timeline for more than one reason, as you can guess your little hearts away about.**

**Two: What exactly is the role that the Bajoran resistance plays here? You guys have met Kira Nerys of this universe, but why exactly did she stow away on the **_**Defiant**_**?**

**Three: Will the Prime universe play a few games here? I purposely put that part about Kirk's time travelling into the beginning of this chapter to foreshadow things a bit. But how exactly will they appear?**

**As far as canon goes, some characters will die earlier or in different ways than the Prime timeline has them and some will live when they're not canonically supposed to. Of course, the events of some of the episodes and movies will remain in this timeline, just slightly altered.**

**Any questions? PM me or review the story. I'll be happy to answer all of them.**

**Jolan'tru!**


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